Aerosol-assisted
chemical vapor deposition (AACVD) can be used
to produce coatings and thin films such as transparent conducting
oxide (TCO) films, which are used in self-cleaning surfaces, solar
cells, and other electronic and optoelectronic applications. A process
based on AACVD consists of a number of steps: aerosol generation,
aerosol transport, aerosol delivery, and chemical deposition. Predicting
the behavior of such a process at an industrial scale is challenging
due to a number of factors: the aerosol generation creates droplets
of different sizes, losses are incurred in the transport, the delivery
must evaporate the solvent to release the precursors, and the reactions
on the surface of the deposition target may be complex. This paper
describes a full process model, including the prediction of the size
distribution of the generated aerosol, the number and size of droplets
delivered, the carrier gas temperature profile at the reaction site,
the solvent evaporation time, and the rate of film formation. The
key modeling challenges addressed include incorporating the impact
of uncertainties in parameters such as heat and mass transfer coefficients
and reaction rate constants. Preliminary simulations demonstrate a
proof of concept for the use of simulation for gaining insights into
the feasibility of a process scale-up for an industrial-scale AACVD.